Creating Expansion Joints in a Sidewalk

QUESTION

When I draw a sidewalk using the Sidewalk tool, it is created as a continuous slab. I would like to know how to create a sidewalk with expansion joints.

ANSWER

To model expansion joints in a sidewalk, create a single section of sidewalk and then replicate it with small gaps in between each section.

To create a sidewalk with expansion joints

Select Terrain> Create Terrain Perimeter from the menu to create a terrain perimeter in which terrain can be generated.

Select Terrain> Sidewalk> Straight Sidewalk from the menu, then click and drag to draw the first section of sidewalk.

Using Open Object to open the Terrain Path Specification dialog you can adjust the Width under the General panel and the length under the Selected Line panel. Or you can use Manual Dimension lines to adjust the sidewalk section so that its length is the desired distance between expansion joints.

With the Select Objects tool active, select the sidewalk and click the Transform/Replicate Object edit button.

In the Transform/Replicate Object dialog:

Check the box beside Copy, then specify the number of copies that you would like to make.

Check the box beside Move, then specify the interval at which you would like copies to be made, and along which delta.

If, for example, your sidewalk section is 47 1/4" long and you would like 3/4" expansion joints, the Move value would be 48"

Select the X Delta to make copies to the left or right, or select the Y Delta to make copies up or down on your monitor.

Click OK to close the dialog and make copies of the sidewalk at the specified intervals.